f 


^ 

I 


r 


<f    . 

"7  *~yi/l 

,  -,      UA^U-^^0 

OFT  UDRARY 


to' 

generation.  It  has  often  been  said  at  Mauritius,  that  in  a 
few  years  the  population  of  this  ancient  Isle  of  France,  of 
this  pearl  of  the  Indian  Ocean,  will  be  altogether  Indian. 
Wise  men  tremble  at  the  prospect  of  a  transformation  like 
this  rapidly  going  on.  What  will  become  of  us,  what  will, 
become  of  religion  in  such  a  struggle  with  paganism  ?  Let 
us  do  under  these  circumstances,  Gentlemen,  what  tho 
Church  formerly  did  on  the  arrival  of  the  barbarians  on 
European  soil :  let  us  convert  the  pagan  masses.  And  then 
far  from  absorbing  the  Christian  community  which  has 
flung  open  to  them  the  gates  of  those  hospitable  lands, 
they  will  more  than  ever  throw  themselves  into  its  arms  and 
form  one  people,  under  the  powerful  influence  of  Him  to 
whom  has  been  given  the  empire  of  the  world. 
CO 

"  I  remaiu,  Gentlemen,  etc., 

fa  MICHAEL  AD.  HANKINSON. 

U< 

Bishop  of  Port  Louis" 

a 

o 

LJU 
O 


310 


MISSIONS 


OF 


AMERICA. 


ROCKY    MOUNTAINS. 

The  Missions  established  amongst  the  savages  on  both 
sides  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  and  confided  to  the  Fathers 
of  the  Society  of  Jesus  (province  of  Turin),  are  six  iu 
number : — 1st,  in  the  centre,  the  Mission  of  the  Sacred 
Heart  amongst  the  Awl-Hearts  and  the  Spokanes ;  - 
2nd,  to  the  north,  the  Mission  of  Saint  Ignatius,  amongst 
the  Hanging-Ears,  tire  Kalispelu  and  the  Coutonnais; — • 
3rd,  to  the  east,  the  Mission  of  Saint  Mary,  amongst  the 
Flat-Heads; — 4th,  to  the  south-east,  the  Mission  of  Saint 
Peter,  amongst  the  Black-Feet  ;—  5ih,  to  the  north-east,  the 
Mission  of  the  Immaculate  Conception,  amongst  the 
Scoielpi ;  6th,  lastly,  the  Mission  of  Saint  Joseph,  near 
Lewistou,  amongst  the  Piereed-Noses. 

I.  Mission  of  the  Sacred  Heart  (1). — "  Founded  about 
twenty  five  years  ago,"  the  Rev.  Father  Urban  Grassi, 

(1)  "We  have  placed  this  Mission  under  the  invocation  of  the  Heart  of 
Jesus,"  we  read  in  a  letter  of  the  Rev.  Father  Giorda,  "in  contradistinc- 
tion to  the  name  of  these  savages,  Awl-Hearts.  Before  they  got  tho  faith, 
these  savages  were  as  barbarous  as  the  other  nations  around  them.  This 
name  is,  therefore,  an  eternal  monument  to  the  Heart  of  Jesus,  by  the 
victory  it  has  obtained  in  transforming  t.htui  interiorly  iuiu  children  oj '  adopt ioit 


5~0  -3  -3^ 
Bencroft  UferwT  an 

Superior  of  the  Missions  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  writes, 
the  15th  November,  1868,  "the  Mission  of  the  Sacred 
Heart  encountered  almost  insurmountable  difficulties.  At 
present,  it  is  the  most  important  of  all ;  there  you  see 
reanimated  the  proverbial  piety  of  the  first  Christians. 
Whoever  has  given  public  scandal  must  expiate  it  in  public, 
and  reconcile  himself  with  his  tribe,  previous  to  reconciling 
himself  with  God  by  confession.  Last  winter,  the  head 
chief  got  drunk;  whiskey  is  a  terrible  temptation  to  the  Indian. 
A  subordinate  chief,  of  an  energetic  character,  called  on 
ten  or  twelve  warriors  to  inflict  punishment  on  the  sinner. 
They  found  the  chief  in  a  state  conscious  of  his  crime,  but 
he  was  too  weak  to  say,  '  1  have  sinned.'  He  excused  him- 
self by  saying  that  he  had  drunk,  with  the  view  of  hindering 
by  his  presence  a  greater  disorder.  A  young  man  then 
made  a  long  speech  to  him,  and  proved,  all  the  while  pay- 
ing him  the  greatest  respect,  that  one  never  should  do  evil 
that  good  might  come  of  it.  The  chief  submitted.  He 
was  going  to  be  (logged.  But  when  they  saw  his  son,  tears 
flowing  from  his  eyes,  assisting  at  the  spectacle,  -all  felt 
moved.  They  untied  the  victim,  whom  they  decided  to 
have  been  sufficiently  punished  by  the  humiliation. 

u  On  every  Saturday,  almost  all  our  Christians  fast,  and 
their  fasts  arc  much  severer  than  ours.  They  eat  only  once, 
and  that  towards  evening.  Some  go  beyond  the  bounds  of 
prudence,  prolonging,  unknown  to  us,  their  fasts  for  two  or 
three  days.  Some  flog  themselves  with  branches  of  thorns; 
others  wear,  for  whole  days,  the  chain  with  iron  spikes  on  it. 
The  spirit  of  mortification  is  most  prevalent  during  the 
uovenas  previous  to  the  great  feasts.  They  then  go  to  the 
Missiouer,  and  ask  him  about  the  penitential  exercises  they 
can  perform. 

"The  tribe  of  the  Awl-Hearts  consists  of  about  four  hun- 
dred individuals,  scattered  over  a  territory  of  200  square 
miles,  in  the  region  of  Idaho,  which  forms  the  vicariate- 
apostolic  of  Moiihiguor  Looteiib.  The  country  is  fertile, 
and  foi  hunting  and  fishing  cannot  be  excelled.  A  number 


312 

of  our  Indians  have  small  fields  where  they  grow  corn  and 
potatoes  for  their  support ;  they  are  very  skilful  in  cultivat- 
ing the  land. 

"The  great  religious  days  are  the  occasions  when  they 
hold  their  meeting.  All  then  approach  the  sacraments  ; 
afterwards,  when  they  have  partaken  of  a  repast  which  the 
Father  has  prepared  for  them,  they  separate.  Many  remain 
in  the  neighbourhood,  especially  in  winter ;  almost  all  spend 
there  the  Lent  and  the  novenas  preparatory  to  the  solemnities. 
In  spring,  they  assemble  for  the  principal  harvest.  This 
year  we  have  built  a  small  chapel  at  the  place.  Father 
Caruana  has  written  to  me  about  this :  '  The  plain  of  Gra- 
mast  is  truly  a  terrestrial  paradise.  One  while,  it  is  morning 
prayer  murmured  by  every  mouth  and  in  every  hut,  at  the 
moment  of  awaking;  another  time,  it  is  the  song  of  the 
canticles  which  awakes  the  echoes  of  the  neighbouring 
mountains.  When  the  bell  rings  for  the  Angelus  or  the 
De  profundisy  the  good  Indians  on  their  knees  in  their  huts 
recite  those  prayers.' 

"  We  will  open  this  year  an  Indian  school,  and  I  hope 
to  get  permission  to  print  a  catechism  in  the  savage  language, 
which  will  be  of  great  service  in  instructing  our  Indians, 
even  when  they  are  wandering  about  in  search  of  food.  In 
conclusion,  I  give  a  table  of  the  spiritual  results  of  this 
year: — 5,080  confessions; — 8,800  communions; — 4  adult 
baptisms  ; — 85  baptisms  of  infants  ; — 6  marriages." 

Two  Missioners  have  charge  of  the  station  of  the  Sacred 
Heart. 

II.  Mission  of  Saint  Ignatius. — It  extends  over  fifty 
square  miles,  in  the  territory  of  Montana,  and  consists  of 
five  hundred  souls.  It  employs  two  Fathers,  one  of  them 
passes  the  greater  portion  of  his  time  in  the  valley  of  Hell- 
gate,  where  are  Indians  of  four  or  five  different  tribes, 
and  a  great  number  of  whites.  Saint  Ignatius  has  a  house 
of  the  Sisters  of  Charity,  called  here,  some  years  ago,  to 
educate  the  Indian  girls.  At  the  same  time,  metisses  and 
white  girls  are  also  received  in  the  school. 


313 

Confessions  and  communions  are  not  so  numerous  as 
amongst  the  Awl-Hearts.  But,  if  we  reflect  on  the 
difficulty  in  following  these  nomad  tribes,  we  will  feel  sur- 
prised at  the  Missioners  preserving  their  courage.  To-day 
in  one  place,  to-morrow  gone,  and  God  knows  where. 

III.  Mission  of  Saint  Mary. — This  Mission,  where  two 
Fathers  and  a  Brother  are  employed,   contains  about  four 
hundred  and  fifty  Indians,  all  Catholics,  and  comprises  an 
extent  60  miles  long  by  40  broad.     Like  the  preceding  one, 
it  is  under  the  jurisdiction  of  Monsignor  Lootens,   Vicar- 
Apostolic  of  Idaho. 

This  Mission,  which  was  the  first  founded  in  this  country, 
and  formerly  very  flourishing,  fell  into  such  decay,  fifteen 
years  ago,  that  the  Superiors  thought  it  fitting  to  abandon 
it.  Nevertheless,  a  Father  came  there  from  Saint  Ignatius, 
60  miles  distant,  once  or  twice  a  year,  to  catechize,  baptize, 
bless  their  marriages,  etc.  Things  remained  in  this  state 
till  1866,  an  epoch  when,  thanks  to  the  indefatigable 
perseverance  of  the  Rev.  Father  Grazo,  the  Mission  could 
be  resumed.  He  met  with  great  obstacles,  but  his  zeal 
triumphed  over  them  all.  The  Flat-Heads  are  beginning 
to  value  the  sacrifices  of  their  holy  and  courageous  Mis- 
sioner,  and  to  testify  to  him  a  sincere  attachment. 

IV.  Mission   of  Saint   Peter. — "The   Mission  of   Saint 
Peter,"    writes   the   Rev.   Father   Grassi,  "  included  in  the 
territory  of  Montana,  occupies  a  space  of  500  miles  long  by 
JOO   broad,   on  this  side  of  the  English  possessions.     The 
tribes  which  inhabit  it  are  the  Bloods,  the  Piham,  the  Si- 
sizern,  the  Great-Bellies,  and  the  Black-Feet,  in  all  12,000 
souls.     Five  or  six  Fathers  are  fully   employed   there,   for 
the  nations  have  no   fixed  residence.     The   waters  of    the 
torrents  supply   them   with   drink,  the  buffaloes   with   food. 
The   first  they   find  everywhere,  and  they  hunt  the  second 
wherever  they  go.     Their  life  is  entirely  nomadic.     The  only 
means  to  instruct  these  Indians  is  to  accompany  them   on 
their  hunting  expeditions. 

"  During  the  ten  years  that  the  Fathers  have  been  estab- 


a  14 

lished  amongst  the  Black-Feet,  their  efforts  have  had 
scarcely  any  result,  and  this  was  because  they  wished  to 
constrain  them  to  build  houses  and  settle  themselves  in  a 
fixed  place,  where  the  government  could  establish  an 
agency.  Whilst  following  our  Indians,  we  would  be  able 
to  have  a  house  and  a  church  in  the  most  important  post 
at  Beutou,  where  many  half-Indian  families  reside,  and 
where  the  Missiouer  would  be  constantly  in  connexion 
with  all  the  Black-Feet  of  the  tribe. 

"  One  of  our  Fathers  passed  a  part  of  the  winter  at  an 
encampment  of  the  Voods ;  here  I  found  him  teaching 
catechism  to  fifty  children,  boys  and  girls;  this  he  did  twice 
a  day.  Unfortunately,  his  strength  was  not  equal  to  the 
ardour  of  his  zeal.  Two  of  our  most  robust  Fathers  have 
sought  permission  to  cultivate  this  virgin  land  so  promising 
in  appearance.  They  will  be  sent  there  as  soon  as  possible. 

"  There  is  no  security  for  real  and  durable  success 
apparent  in  the  Missions  to  the  country  of  the  Black  Feet ; 
the  principal  reasons  for  this  are  as  follows.  The  country, 
lying  under  the  40th  degree  of  north  latitude,  is  cold  and 
unfit  for  cultivation  ;  the  laud  produces  nothing  but  a  short 
herbage  known  by  the  name  of  bulTalo- grass.  Then  the 
Black-Feet  hardly  differ  from  wolves  in  their  mode  of  life  ; 
like  them  they  hunt  the  buffaloes  in  troops,  and  feed  on 
them  when  caught.  All  savages  are  naturally  careless  and 
indolent ;  but  the  Black-Feet  are  more  so  than  any  others, 
because  they  can  live  with  less  labour.  Finally,  polygamy 
reigns  amongst  them  in  all  its  deformity,  and  its  roots  run 
so  deep  that  it  is  worthy  of  the  gravest  consideration.  In 
fact,  the  more  wives  a  savage  has,  the  richer  he  is,  for  in  this 
way  he  possesses  a  large  number  of  slaves  to  serve  him  and 
to  make  him  fine  clothes.  In  this  way,  to  ask  them  to  give 
up  their  wives,  is  to  require  of  them  to  go  back  to  poverty 
and  contempt. 

"  The  Black- Feet  are  divided  into  numerous  camps,  each 
of  300  to  400  huts.  The  walls  ol  these  Indian  palaces  arc 
formed  of  from  twenty  to  thirl)  buffalo  skins,  on  which  are 


315 

painted  in  grotesque  figures  the  deeds  of  arms  of  the  heroes 
of  the  family.  These  mighty  achievements  consist  in 
plundering  the  enemy  of  his  horses,  and  of  all  sorts  of 
cruelties  practised  on  him.  Round  the  hut  or  on  the  top  of 
it,  float  the  banners  of  the  brave,  that  is  to  say,  the  scalps 
of  long  black  hair  they  have  torn  from  their  victims.  In 
the  post  of  honour  in  the  hut  or  over  the  door-way,  during 
the  day  time,  hangs  the  calumet  of  medicine  (in  their 
superstitious  language),  adorned  with  ribbons  and  shells  in 
the  savage  way.  It  is  a  sort  of  divinity  which  they  always 
consult  in  important  aflairs,  and  which  their  chief  always 
brings  with  him  to  war.  Round  the  camp,  during  the  day, 
thousands  of  horses  feed  j  at  night,  these  are  tied  up  to 
stakes  ranged  in  the  form  of  a  cross. 

"  When  the  evening  has  come,  then  commences  the 
military  music  ;  the  drum,  the  favourite  instrument  of  savages, 
is  beaten  in  the  tents  of  the  warriors,  the  gamblers,  and  the 
sick.  It  is  accompanied  by  songs  or  rather  by  howlings  so 
monotonous,  that  the  ear  is  stunned.  The  neighing  of 
horses  and  barking  of  many  hundreds  of  dogs  take  a  part 
iii  the  concert.  It  is  in  the  midst  of  this  infernal  uproar, 
which  would  kill  any  sick  man  except  he  was  a  savage,  that 
the  medicine-man  administers  the  remedies  to  the  patients. 

"  In  dangerous  places,  above  all  when  traces  of  the  enemy 
are  met  with,  a  sentinel  watches  all  night  around  the  camp, 
to  guard  against  surprise.  To  kuow  how  to  deceive  the 
vigilance  of  the  sentinel,  to  get,  by  creeping,  into  the  camp, 
to  cut  the  cords  which  tether  the  finest  horses,  to  drive 
these  out  from  the  midst  of  the  others,  and  to  fly  away  with 
them  without  being  perceived,  such  is  the  daring  which 
immortalizes  au  Indian  warrior.  In  this  kind  of  plundering, 
the  robbers  of  these  countries  are  not  at  all  inferior  to  the 
cleverest  rascals  of  London  or  Paris. 

"  When  food  is  scarce  in  the  camp,  at  day -break,  the 
young  men  and  the  warriors  arm  themselves  with  javelin* 
and  guns,  mount  their  finest  cotusers,  and  dart  alier  the 
herd  of  buffaloes.  In  It'&s  than  an  huur,  a  hundred  and 


316 

more  of  these  animals  lie  dead  on  the  ground.  This  ends 
the  work  of  the  hunters,  and  then  begins  the  labour  of  the 
women  who  have  followed  them.  They  first  skin  the 
buffaloes  before  the  breath  is  out  of  their  body  ;  this  they  do 
with  surprising  quickness  and  dexterity.  They  then  cut  the 
animal  into  pieces,  putting  the  finest  parts  on  their  horses, 
and  return  to  the  camp.  The  remainder  is  spoil  for  the 
wolves  who,  during  the  operation,  are  the;e  watching  their 
prey  and  howling  around.  As  soon  as  the  meat  arrives  in 
the  camp,  the  pot  is  put  on  the  fire  in  every  tent,  and  then 
commences  a  great  feast,  which  lasts  till  the  provisions  are 
exhausted. 

"  Such  are  two  of  the  principal  occupations  of  the  Black- 
Feet. 

"  A  third  is  war,  war  which  consists  in  plundering  and 
killing  their  enemies.  At  the  present  time,  every  one,  whites 
as  well  as  Indians,  are  enemies  of  the  Black-Feet.  This 
ferocious  people  are  in  hostility  with  all  the  nations  surround- 
ing them  ;  and  the  latter,  although  occasionally  enemies  to 
each  other,  agree  in  one  respect,  at  least,  to  carry  extermina- 
tion into  the  country  of  the  Black-Feet;  so  that  this  ter- 
ritory is,  as  it  were,  a  perpetual  field  of  battle,  or  rather 
of  atrocities  of  every  kind.  It  is  the  refuge  of  outcasts 
who  have  become  brigands ;  and  woe  to  him  they  find  on 
their  road. 

"  It  is  to  these  ferocious  men  that  the  Missioner  must 
bring  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ.  Nothing  is  impossible  to 
God;  but  you  can  understand,  such  a  work,  beyond  all 
others,  surpasses  the  power  of  man.  No  real  good  can  be 
done  for  the  Indians,  if  a  settled  and  durable  peace  be  not 
established  amongst  the  different  nations,  between  themselves 
first,  and  then  between  them  and  the  whites.  With  this 
view,  the  government  has  arranged  military  posts  along  the 
Missouri  and  the  Indian  frontiers.  They  support  their 
agents  in  these,  and  send  every  year  peaceful  commissaries 
to  distribute  presents  amongst  the  savages.  Already  the 
Sioux,  the  Great-Bellies,  the  Crows,  and  all  the  nation  of 


317 

the  Bloods  have  signed  a  treaty  with  the.  whites ;  but  it  has 
been  impossible  as  yet  to  pacify  the  Indians  towards  each 
other.  We  ourselves,  Missioners,  could  not  induce  cm- 
con  verted  savages,  the  Flat- Heads  and  the  Hanging-Ears, 
to  stop  from  making  war  on  their  neighbours  beyond  the 
Rocky  Mountains,  so  deep  is  the  passion  for  war  rooted  in 
the  soul  of  the  savage.  These  fratricidal  contests  are  the 
chief  cause  of  the  frightful  diminution  of  these  hordes,  and 
will  eventually  annihilate  them." 

V.  Mission  of  the  Immaculate  Conception. — "  This  Mis- 
sion includes   five  different  nations  :  the  Scoi'elpi,  the  Sene- 
cas,  the  Kalispeln,  the  Flat-Bows,  and  the  Contonnais,  that 
is  to  say,  3,000  souls.     Part  of  them  belong  to  the  territory 
of  Washington,  and  are  under  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Bishop 
of    Nesqualy,    Monsignor    Blanchet ;    the   remainder,    in- 
cluded   in    the    English    territory,    taken    from    Monsignor 
Herbomez,  Vicar-Apostolic  of  British  Colombia.     All  these 
Indians   are  Catholics.     Two  Fathers  share  the  fatigues  of 
the  Mission,  but  the  extent  of  the  territory  (about  500  miles) 
does  not  allow  them  to  obtain  the  results  they  desire.     We 
fail  in  resources,  and  yet  how  much  good  remains  still  to  be 
done !     We  must  form  a  new  Mission  here  for  the  Conton- 
nais, who  number  about  2,000,  speaking  a  language  of  their 
own.     For   more   than  twenty  years  these  tribes  have  been 
asking  for  Fathers;  and   such  is  their  docility,  they  give  us 
greater  consolation  than  all  the  neighbouring  hordes.     The 
Mission  of  Colville  could,  in  this  way,  extend  its  influence 
over   the   surrounding  tribes,    such  as  the  Simpoyihi,   and 
three  or  four  small  Spokane  tribes,  almost  entirely  abandoned 
for  want  of  Missioners." 

VI.  Mission    of   Saint    Joseph. — "  The   Pierced- Noses, 
amongst  whom  this  Mission  is  established,    are  more  than 
3,000  in  number.     It  is  included  in  the  vicariate-apostolic 
of  Monsignor  Lootens.     Already  the  enemy  has  sowed  tares 
in    this    portion    of    the    field    of  the    Lord.     Thus    Father 
Cataldo  could  not  induce  the  Indians  to  receive  him.     He 
counted  on   fixing  himself  in   the  midst  of  them,   on   the 


318 

occasion  of  the  opening  of  a  school  which  the  government 
wished  to  establish,  bnt  this  establishment  was  part  of  a 
treaty  which  the  Pierced- Noses  refused  to  accept.  Four  of 
their  chiefs  were  called  on  last  year  by  the  government  to 
terminate  this  affair.  During  that  time,  Father  Cataldo 
looked  out  for  opportunities  to  go  amongst  them.  He  was 
able  to  succeed  many  times  during  the  winter.  But  he  was 
obliged  to  give  up  his  project ;  for  the  great  chief  forbade 
him  to  be  allowed  to  enter,  and  threatened  him  with  death 
if  he  set  foot  in  his  camp.  The  year  has  thus  passed  over 
for  the  Missioner  in  fear  and  in  hope. 

"The  time  of  grace  seems,  however,  not  to  be  far  off. 
4  To-day,'  Father  Cataldo  writes  to  me,  dated  4th  Novem- 
ber, 1868,  *  I  was  visited  in  my  chamber  by  fifteen  savages, 
amongst  whom  were  six  chiefs,  five  of  them  on  our  side. 
If  I  can  get  leave  to  build  a  chapel  in  one  of  their  camps, 
I  will  do  so  without  delay,  should  I  have  to  borrow  the 
required  sum.'  It  is  true  that  the  agent  of  the  government 
has  entrusted  the  direction  of  the  school  to  one  of  his  friends. 
I  had  expected  this;  but  it  will  not  hinder  us  from  remain- 
ing amongst  the  Pierced-Noses  as  Missioners.  The  agent, 
questioned  by  Father  Cataldo,  said  that  no  religion  was 
prohibited,  and  that  the  government  would  protect  all  forms 
of  worship. 

"You  see  we  are  not  here  without  hope.  But  of  what 
avail  are  the  single  efforts  of  Father  Cataldo  ?  Six  more 
Fathers  will  be  necessary.  Nominally  we  are  15  Missioners  ; 
in  reality,  there  are  but  6  or  7,  all  the  rest  being  sick,  or 
succumbing  under  the  weight  of  years." 


295 


MISSIONS 


OF 


AMEKICA. 


ROCKY   MOUNTAINS. 

A  Missioner  whose  name  is  well  known  to  the  Associates 
of  the  Propagation  of  the  Faith,  and  gloriously  connected 
with  the  history  of  the  conversion  of  the  native  tribes  of 
North  America,  the  Kev.  Father  de  Smet,  of  the  Society  of 
Jesus,  died  at  St.  Louis,  on  the  23rd  of  May,  1873,  in  the 
seventy-third  year  of  his  age  and  the  forty- sixth  of  his 
apostolic  life, 

The  Rev.  Father  Peter  John  de  Smet  was  born  at  Termonde 
(Belgium)  on  the  31st  of  January,  J801.  He  began  his 
studies  in  the  college  of  Alost  and  the  Seminary  of  Malines. 
In  the  month  of  July,  1821,  he  left  Holland  for  Philadelphia, 
in  company  with  the  Eev.  Charles  Nerinckx,  Belgian  Missioner 
at  Kentucky. 

Immediately  on  his  arrival  in  the  United  States,  he  entered 
the  novitiate  of  the  Society  of  Jesus  at  Georgetown  (diocese 
of  Baltimore).  Having  been  ordained  Priest  in  1827,  he  was 
sent  to  different  Missions :  St.  Charles,  Portage  of  the  Sioux, 
Dardenas,  St.  Ferdinand,  etc.  In  these  places  he  laboured 
during  three  years.  At  this  period,  the  Society  of  Jesus  was 


p 

290 

. 

occupied  with  the  foundation  of  the  University  of  "St.  Louis. 
Father  de  Smet  returned  to  Europe  about  the  affairs  of  the 
Society,  and  at  the  same  time  with  the  hope  of  reestablishing 
his  health.  Some  years  after,  he  went  back  to  America,  and 
devoted  himself  altogether  to  the  Missions  of  the  native  tribes. 
Until  the  day  of  his  death,  his  labours  in  this  field  were 
never  interrupted,  except  when  he  returned  occasionally  to 
Belgium,  to  look  for  Missioners. 

So  great  was  the  authority  exercised  over  the  Indians  by 
Father  de  Smet,  that  the  Presidents  of  the  Union  sent  him 
on  several  occasions,  in  an  official  capacity,  to  establish  peace 
with  the  revolted  Indians.  The  courageous  Missioner  willingly 
undertook  the  task  of  peaceful  intervention;  for  it  was  the 
only  means  of  arresting,  for  a  time,  the  American  authorities 
in  their  system  of  extermination. 

Since  his  return  to  the  United  States,  last  year,  the  Eev. 
Father  de  Smet,  whose  health  had  been  impaired  by  nearly 
fifty  years  of  missionary  work,  found  his  strength  completely 
fail  him.  In  the  month  of  February,  1873,  he  had  a  fit  of 
apoplexy.  At  last,  on  the  23rd  of  May,  he  surrendered  his 
soul  to  God, 

The  funeral  took  place  at  St.  Louis,  and  was  attended  by 
a  crowd  of  Catholics  and  Protestants,  who  vied  with  one 
another  in  rendering  homage  to  the  apostle  of  the  Indians. 
Among  those  present  were  the  Archbishop  of  St.  Louis  and 
several  generals  of  the  American  army. 

The  remains  of  Father  de  Smet  were  transported  to  the 
novitiate  of  Florissant,  where  they  repose  beside  those  of  his 
first  companions,  the  Rev.  Fathers  Verghagen,  Elet,  and 
Smidts  (1). 

We  shall  now  proceed  to  give  some  letters  containing  edify- 
ing accounts  of  the  wild  tribes  scattered  through  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  and  evangelized  by  the  Rev.  Father  de  Smet. 


(1)  The  Annals  have  published  twenty-six  letters  from  the  Rev.  Father  de 
Smet:  vol.  vii  (1834),  French  edition; — English  edition:  vol.  ii  j  vol.  iii ; 
vol.  iv ;  vol.  vi ;  vol.  vii;  vol.  viii ;  vol.  xi ;  vol.  xiii ;  vol.  xxi.  Tbe 
Catholic  Missions  have  published  three  :  vol.  iv  (1871-72),  p.  Gt>8,  6t>«,  681. 


297 

I.  Cceurs-d'alene  (Idaho  Territory).  —  The  Rev.  Father 
Cataldo  writes,  in  April,  1872,  to  the  Kev.  Father  de  Smet: 

"  Our  Indians,  indolent  enough  by  nature,  are,  nevertheless, 
deeply  penetrated  with  gratitude  for  the  benefits  already  be- 
stowed on  them,  as  well  as  for  those  you  still  continue  to 
confer  on  them.  This  letter  may  be  considered  theirs  rather 
than  mine.  The  day  before  yesterday,  Easter  Sunday,  all 
the  chiefs  of  the  tribe  held  an  assembly  in  the  chief  place  of 
the  Mission,  and  resolved  to  send  a  hdiminen  (letter)  to  the 
Rev.  Father  de  Smet,  the  first  black-robe  they  had  ever  seen. 
After  the  meeting,  one  of  them  was  deputed  to  call  and  beg 
of  me  to  address  a  haiminen  to  the  black-robe  de  Smet  in  their 
name,  testifying  their  gratitude  for  the  kindness  he  had  shown 
them  and  for  all  his  benefits,  and  adding  an  earnest  prayer 
that  he  would  come  once  more  to  see  them.  In  reply  to  the 
deputation,  I  said  that  I  would  gladly  comply  with  their 
request  to  write  the  letter  of  thanks,  but  that  I  thought  it 
would  be  very  difficult  to  obtain  the  second  part  of  the  request. 

"  '  Black-robe  de  Smet,'  I  said,  '  is  now  far  advanced  in 
years,  and  he  would  find  it  difficult  to  accomplish  long  journeys 
on  horseback/ 

"  They  saw  that  I  was  right  on  the  latter  point,  but  added  : 
'If  the  Father  is  not  able  to  come  to  visit  us,  he  will  at 
any  rate  be  glad  to  hear  that  the  Cmurs-dalene  have  the  most 
affectionate  and  grateful  recollection  of  him/ 

"  I  can,  therefore,  assure  you,  my  dear  Rev.  Father,  that 
you  have  every  reason  to  rejoice  in  having  been  the  founder 
cf  this  Mission;  for  these  'poor  Indians,'  as  they  often  like 
to  style  themselves,  are  so  pious  and  truly  moral  in  their 
conduct,  that  it  is  not  easy  to  form  an  idea  of  their  goodness 
without  being  actually  among  them. 

"  Yesterday,  Easter  Monday,  before  returning  to  their 
different  encampments  to  cultivate  their  little  fields,  they 
made  known  to  me  their  intention  of  returning  to  the  Mission 
towards  the  end  of  the  month,  to  take  part  in  the  usual 
devotions  of  the  month  of  Mary.  And  I  am  quite  sure  they 
will  keep  their  word  as  they  did  last  year. 


298 

"  On  Easter  Sunday,  all  our  Indians,  without  a  single 
exception,  approached  the  sacraments  of  Penance  and  the 
Holy  Eucharist.  I  doubt  if  there  is  another  nation  or  tribe 
on  the  face  of  the  earth  of  which  such  high  praise  could  be 
given.  The  morality  of  family  life,  which,  I  must  say,  is 
more  or  less  irregular  in  many  of  the  neighbouring  tribes,  and, 
perhaps,  still  more  so  among  the  white  population  of  these 
new  territories,  is,  I  repeat,  extremely  edifying  in  the  case  of 
our  dear  neophytes,  and  excites  the  wonder  of  all  who  have 
any  communication  with  these  Indians.  The  chiefs  of  the 
different  clans  of  the  tribe  publicly  express  their  satisfaction 
on  this  subject,  and,  in  fact,  there  is  only  one  exception  to 
this  happy  state  of  things. 

"  The  principal  chiefs,  Seltis  and  Vincent,  recommend 
themselves  in  a  special  manner  to  your  prayers,  and  Vincent, 
especially,  asks  your  intercession  for  the  soul  of  his  beloved 
son  Ernest,  whom  he  lately  lost.  In  fine,  I  conclude  this 
letter,  Rev.  Father,  by  entreating  for  myself  and  my  two 
fellow-Missioners,  Fathers  Joset  and  Gazzoli,  a  memento  in 
the  holy  sacrifice  of  the  Mass." 

II.  Pierced-ndsea  (Idaho  Territory).  —  The  Rev.  Father 
Guidi  wrote  to  us  on  the  3rd  of  October,  1872,  the  following 
letter : 

"What  I  am  now  going  to  relate  is  taken  from  an  account 
written  by  the  Rev.  Father  Cataldo  to  the  Rev.  Father 
Provincial  of  Turin. 

"I  must  premise  that  our  Fathers  have  undertaken  during 
many  years  past  to  labour  among  the  tribe  of  Pierced-noses. 

"  In  the  month  of  January,  1869,  Father  Cataldo  succeeded 
in  building  a  chapel  in  one  of  the  Indian  encampments,  and 
gathered  some  children  into  it. 

"The  following  year  he  erected  another  chapel  in  an  en- 
campment near  Lewiston,  and  there  he  had  an  opportunity  of 
teaching  the  prayers,  and  a  little  of  the  catechism  to  some 
young  men. 

"Nevertheless,  but  little  progress  was  made.  During  his 
three  years'  residence  among  the  Pierced  noses,  and  after  much 


299 

labour  and  suffering,  Father  Cataldo  had  only  converted  a  very 
small  number,  and  baptized  but  five  or  six  of  the  Indians. 
Such  being  the  case,  his  superiors  seeing  but  little  fruit  pro- 
duced, and  being  in  want  of  Missioners  for  other  quarters, 
thought  it  well  to  recall  Father  Cataldo,  and  send  him  among 
the  Cceurs-d'alene. 

"  During  the  summer  and  autumn  of  last  year,  the  same 
Father  visited  the  Pierced-noses,  and  obtained  nothing  but  fail- 
words  and  fine  promises,  though  a  very  extraordinary  thing 
happened  while  he  was  with  them.  -  This  was  the  baptism  of 
a  young  girl  who  was  dying,  and  who  recovered  her  health  after 
having  received  the  sacrament  of  regeneration.  Some  months 
later,  she  fell  ill  again,  and  died  a  happy  death. 

"  About  a  month  after  her  death,  some  of  the  Indian  chiefs, 
being  assembled  in  council,  resolved  to  send  in  search  of  Father 
Cataldo,  and  accordingly  did  so.  It  was  then  autumn.  The 
Superior,  Eev.  Father  Giorda,  to  whom  Father  Cataldo  had 
written  for  leave,  was  not  able  to  send  an  answer  in  the  winter 
season.  His  departure  was  thus  delayed  till  spring. 

"  Meanwhile,  the  old  Presbyterian  minister  Spalding  arrived 
at  the  government  agency,  near  the  settlement  of  the  Pierced- 
noses,  the  government  having  already  given  up  the  agency  and 
schools  to  the  Presbyterians.  Naturally  we  fancied  that  all 
was  now  over  with  us,  and  nothing  remained  to  be  done  but  to 
confide  these  poor  Indians  to  the  Sacred  Heart  of  Jesus,  and 
to  pray  a  great  deal  for  them. 

"  However,  towards  the  end  of  April,  Father  Cataldo 
repaired  to  the  Pierced-noses,  and  on  the  27th  April,  he  arrived 
safely  at  Lewiston.  But  what  a  change  had  taken  place ! 
The  Indians  came  running  from  all  parts.  Those  who  had 
at  first  seemed  cold  and  indifferent,  now  came  from  a  distance 
to  see  the  Missioner,  welcome  him  on  his  arrival,  and 
lament  his  long  absence. 

"  Next  day,  Sunday,  the  28th,  contrary  to  all  expectation, 
a  number  of  Indians  wont  to  hear  Mass  in  the  church  of 
Lewiston,  which  was  unable  to  contain  half  the  crowd. 

"  After  Mass   and   a  sermon  preached   to   the  blacks,    the 


800 

chief  assembled  the  Indians  in  the  church,  the  Missioner 
began  the  prayers  in  the  language  of  the  Pierced-noses,  and, 
wonder  of  wonders  !  all  the  good  savages  began  with  a  loud  voice 
to  repeat  the  prayers  which  the  Father  had  previously  taught 
to  a  few  children.  He  then  gave  an  instruction  on  the  neces- 
sity of  baptism,  and  he  ended  by  promising  to  say  a  Mass  for 
them  before  the  Holy  Sacrifice  should  be  offered  for  the  whites. 

"  The  whites  themselves,  astounded  by  so  numerous  and  so 
unexpected  a  gathering,  called  upon  the  Fathers  to  rejoice 
with  him  and  congratulate  him  on  the  progress  of  our  holy 
religion. 

"  But  I  have  something  still  more  extraordinary  to  tell  you. 
On  leaving  the  church,  the  Indians  went  in  search  of  the 
Father,  each  having  much  to  say,  and  many  histories  to 
relate. 

"'Black-robe,'  said  one,  '  why  did  you  not  come  in  the 
autumn  ?  I  was  very  nearly  led  away  by  the  old  minister, 
who  told  me  you  were  sure  never  to  come  back  any  more.' 

' '  And  I,  Black-robe,'  said  another,  *  went  to  the  minister, 
and  he  told  me  that  you  would  not  return.  I  did  not  like 
to  die  without  baptism,  and  I  had  myself  baptized  by  him  ; 
but  I  always  said  the  Catholic  prayers,  and  declared  that  I 
would  always  remain  a  Catholic.' 

"  '  Ah !  Black-robe,'  continued  a  third,  '  it  was  all  your  fault. 
You  did  not  come,  and  my  son  became  a  Protestant  and 
married  a  Protestant  wife ;  but  I  hope  that  both  will  become 
Catholics  now  that  you  are  here.  You  must  remain  with  us 
for  ever  and  ever.  If  you  ever  leave  us  again,  it  will  be  all 
over  with  us.' 

"'And  I,'  went  on  a  chief,  'have  always  held  on  firmly  ; 
the  minister  Spalding,  the  agent  of  the  government,  and  his 
father,  also  a  minister  and  the  interpreter  of  the  agency, 
tormented  me  all  the  spring  to  become  a  Protestant.  All  of 
them,  even  the  agent  (fine  chiefs  the  government  places  over 
us,  fine  liars  !)  told  me  that  you  would  never  return,  and  that 
the  president  of  Washington  had  given  orders  that  the  whole 
population  should  become  Presbyterians. 


301 

"  '  I  replied  that  these  were  all  lies,  that  you  would  certainly 
return  in  spring,  that  you  could  not  possibly  come  through 
snow  up  to  a  man's  middle  in  depth,  that  the  President  left 
all  his  subjects  at  liberty  to  be  either  Catholics  or  Presby- 
terians, that  I  never  would  abandon  my  religion,  that  I  had 
long  been  a  Catholic,  although  I  had  never  been  baptized/ 

"  '  Black-robe,'  said  another  Indian,  '  my  son  has  been 
baptized  by  the  Protestant  minister;  but  he  is  still  a  Catholic. 
Will  you  not  give  him  a  medal  ?  The  minister  did  not  give 
him  one.' 

"  On  the  4th  of  May,  a  great  number  of  the  chiefs  as- 
sembled in  the  presence  of  the  Father,  and  decided  that,  this 
time,  they  would  say  the  truth,  and  be  instructed  and 
baptized. 

"  On  Sunday,  the  5th  of  May,  about  a  hundred  of  the 
Indians  repaired  to  the  church  of  Lewiston,  to  the  great 
astonishment  of  the  whites,  heard  Mass  with  devotion,  listened 
to  the  instruction,  and  were  present  at  the  benediction  of  the 
Most  Holy  Sacrament. 

"The  Father  began  on  the  10th  of  May  to  instruct  the 
Indians  encamped  with  their  families  on  the  other  side  of  the 
river.  The  instruction  lasted  from  morning  till  evening.  On 
this  occasion,  too,  the  Father  was  greatly  astonished  to  find 
that  young  men  and  old  knew  their  prayers  equally  well.  Who 
could  have  taught  them  ?  Who,  indeed,  but  a  few  good  boys 
and  girls.  _,  .  ,  _^ 

"  In  fine,  on  this  occasion,  Father  Cataldo  baptized  seventy- 
eight  persons,  married  fourteen  couples,  and  had  the  consola- 
tion of  numbering  among  the  Pierced-noses  ninety-seven 
baptized  Catholics,  including  the  eight  baptized  by  the 
Protestant  minister,  who  have  always  remained  Catholics. 

"  He  had,  moreover,  the  pleasure  of  learning  that  the 
tanibouriniers  (sun-worshippers)  had  assembled  in  council, 
for  the  purpose  of  deciding  whether  they  should  or  should  not 
become  Christians.  Many  of  the  chiefs  were  for  the  affirma- 
tive, and  they  only  differed  among  one  another  on  the 
question  of  time  and  opportunity.  They  intimated  to  the 


302 

Father  that,  if  they  were  converted,  they  would  become 
Catholics.  Let  us  beg  of  God  to  give  them  the  power  to  do 
so,  as  He  has  given  them  the  desire. 

"  I  shall,  in  conclusion,  give  you  an  account  of  the  wonder- 
ful conversion  of  an  old  chief  named  Abraham  Uyaskasit. 

"'  Towards  evening,  on  the  12th  of  May,  there  came,' 
wrote  Father  Cataldo,  '  a  messenger  to  tell  us  that  a  new-born 
infant  was  on  the  point  of  death  in  a  place  about  a  mile  dis- 
tant. I  called  the  chief  Uyaskasit,  and  told  him  to  accompany 
me,  for  I  should  probably  arrive  in  time  to  baptize  the  child. 
'  Uyaskasit  was  one  of  those  who  always  remained  indif- 
ferent, and,  indeed,  I  might  almost  say,  opposed  to  our  holy 
religion,  daring  my  sojourn  among  the  Pierced-noses.  He 
seldom  assisted  at  prayers,  or  if  he  did,  it  was  out  of  con- 
descension to  his  daughter,  to  give  her  pleasure  and  to  hear 
her  sing,  rather  than  from  any  religious  motive.  I,  therefore, 
had  very  little  hope  of  his  conversion. 

"  '  Turning  to  me,  as  we  journeyed  along,  he  said, 

"  *  Well,  Black-robe,  what  is  going  to  be  done  ?' 

"  '  In  regard  to  what  ?' 

"  '  In  regard  to  me.  I  have  two  wives,  and  I  do  not  know 
which  I  ought  to  send  away.  I  will  do  whatever  you  tell  me. 
Listen  to  what  I  am  going  to  say. 

"  '-These  two  women  are  sisters,  children  of  the  same 
father  and  mother,  and  they  are  very  much  attached  to  one 
another.  They  are  excellent  women,  and  very  fond  of  me. 
I  love  them  both  equally  well.  Each  of  them  has  children, 
and  both  are  willing  to  remain  with  me  till  death.  I  will  send 
away  whichever  you  tell  me.  But  remember  they  belong  to  a 
family  of  tambouriniers,  living  in  a  place  where  there  are  no 
other  church  and  prayers  but  the  tambourine  and  fire-water. 

"  '  I  will  put  away  one  of  my  wives,  but  it  will  break  one 
half  of  my  heart  to  do  so.  And  this  is  nothing  in  comparison 
with  the  children.  What  is  to  become  of  their  souls  ?  The 
children  will  follow  their  mother,  and  lose  their  religion,  their 
prayers,  and  their  souls. 

"  '  But  I  repeat,  Black-robe,   I   am  ready   to  do  whatever 


803 

you  tell  me.  I  want  to  be  a  Christian.  But  to  put  away  one 
of  my  wives  and  leave  her  in  my  hut !  Oh,  how  the  whole  tribe 
will  talk  about  it !  And,  what  is  more  terrible  than  the  talk 
of  the  tribe,  is  my  own  poor  heart. 

"  (  As  I  told  you  before,  I  am  extremely  fond  of  them,  and 
if  I  must  repudiate  one,  she  will  have  to  go. 

"  '  Black-robe,  save  my  soul,  but  do  not  let  the  souls  of 
my  children  and  my  wife  be  lost/ 

"  '  I  doubted  for  a  moment  the  sincerity  of  this  conversion ; 
but  I  soon  became  convinced  that  Abraham  was  really  con- 
verted. I  thanked  God,  and  prayed  to  be  enlightened  as  to 
what  I  should  do. 

"  '  My  dear  Abraham,'  I  said  to  him,  '  you  shall  not  bear 
your  name  in  vain ;  you  shall  be  a  second  Abraham.  I  thank 
God  for  your  conversion,  and  I  trust  that  all  tilings  shall  be 
arranged  so  as  to  secure  the  salvation  of  your  souls. 

"  '  In  the  evening  we  shall  call  together  the  chiefs,  and 
deliberate  on  the  course  to  be  pursued.' 

"  '  By  this  time  we  had  arrived  at  the  house  where  the 
child  lay  dying.  I  baptized  the  infant,  and  returned  to 
Abraham's  hut,  my  heart  rejoicing,  because  another  soul  had 
been  gained  to  God. 

"  'The  chiefs  held  their  meeting,  and  after  some  discussion, 
decided  that  Abraham  should  keep  his  first  wife,  and  put 
•away  the  younger,  for  whom  he  should  construct  a  separate 
hut  at  some  distance,  in  which  she  and  her  children  should 
live  at  his  expense. 

"  *  Poor  old  Abraham  made  great  objections  to  this.  I 
related  to  him  the  story  of  the  vocation  and  sacrifice  of 
Abraham,  and  explained  how  he  could  now  imitate  the  holy 
patriarch,  etc. 

"  *  Abraham  struggled  against  himself.  But,  as  it  was  now 
midnight,  the  council  broke  up,  and  adjourned  to  the  next  day. 
'  On  the  13th  of  May,  after  morning  prayer,  instruction, 
and  breakfast,  the  council  of  the  chiefs  assembled  again.  One 
of  them  conceived  the  happy  idea  of  sending  for  the  woman 
who  was  to  be  repudiated.  But  the  latter  returned  for  answer 


304 

that,  as  the  sentence  had  been  pronounced,  it  would  be  of  no 
use  to  open  the  discussion  again. 

'Another  chief  went  out,  and  succeeded  in  bringing  the 
woman,  followed  by  a  crowd  of  Indians,  curious  to  see  how 
the  thing  would  end. 

"  '  Being  informed  of  her  presence,  I  turned  towards  Abra- 
ham, and,  repeating  my  discourse  of  the  previous  evening, 
exhorted  him  to  make  the  sacrifice,  etc. 

*  Abraham  had  already  made  up  his  mind  to  conquer  his 
inclinations ;  he  stood  up  and  tried  to  speak,  but  his  feelings 
overcame  him,  and  he  sat  down  covering  his  face  with  his 
hands. 

"  '  All  present  were  deeply  affected,  and  the  woman  no  less 
than  the  rest. 

'After  a  few  moments'  silence,  Abraham,  at  my  instiga- 
tion, rose  up  again,  dried  his  eyes,  and  began  to  relate  the 
history  of  the  patriarch  Abraham,  and  cite  it  as  an  example 
for  himself  to  follow. 

'  He  spoke  with  such  eloquence  and  emotion,  that  every 
one  began  to  cry. 

'  As  soon  as  he  had  come  to  a  conclusion,  the  woman 
spoke  in  her  turn  : 

'Yes,  I  am  repudiated,  and  I  shall  go  away.  But 
whither  shall  I  go  ?  Shall  I  return  to  my  parents,  to  lose  my 
own  soul  and  the  soul  of  my  son,  who  now  is  so  fond  of 
prayer?' 

'  No,'  I  replied ;  '  I  shall  never  allow  you  to  go  away 
and  endanger  your  salvation.  You  shall  remain  here,  and 
lead  a  Christian  life.  Abraham  will  give  you  a  hut  and  the 
means  of  livelihood.' 

"  '  It  is  impossible,'  she  replied,  '  that  I  should  stay  here 
repudiated.  I  will  go  back  to  my  parents,  and  when  you 
come,  Black-robe,  to  build  a  church  there,  I  will  go  and  live 
near  with  my  son.' 

"  '  I  then  told  her  that  I  did  not  know  when  I  should  be 
able  to  build  a  church  in  that  place,  and  that,  besides,  her 
parents  would  have  long  before  perverted  her.  I  conjured 


her  not  to  aggravate  poor  Abraham's  distress,  telling  her  that 
it  would  be  a  great  consolation  to  him  to  see  her  resigned  and 
living  like  a  good  Christian,  and  that  her  present  resolution 
if  carried  out  would  grieve  poor  Abraham,  displease  the 
Black-robe  and  the  other  chiefs,  and  afflict  the  hearts  of 
Jesus  and  Mary.  I  besought  her  in  the  name  of  all,  in  the 
name  of  Jesus,  Mary,  and  Joseph,  to  yield  to  my  entreaties. 
She  submitted  at  once,  and  ended  by  saying, 

"  '  I  am  quite  ready  now  to  do  whatever  God  requires  of 
me.  I  have  been  very  wicked.  I  now  promise  to  live  like 
a  good  Christian.  To-morrow  I  will  bring  my  little  son,  and 
beg  of  you,  Black-robe,  to  baptize  him  and  me,  and  I  will 
do  whatever  you  tell  me.' 

"  '  And  with  the  grace  of  God  all  this  was  done.' 

"  So  far  the  Rev.  Father  Cataldo's  account. 

"  And  what  are  we  to  conclude  from  all  this  ?  Assuredly 
the  finger  of  God  is  manifest  in  such  events.  And  yet  this 
well-disposed  nation  must  be  left  without  a  Missioner,  because 
Priests  are  not  to  be  had.  Oh  !  let  us  pray  the  Master  of  the 
harvest  to  send  labourers  into  His  vineyard,  and  to  furnish 
the  means,  without  which  no  Mission  can  long  continue  to 
subsist." 

III.  Kootonais. — The  Rev.  Father  U.  Grassi  addressed 
to  us  the  following  letter  dated  Altanam  (territory  of 
Washington),  December  J4th,  1872. 

"  The  Kootonais  are  divided  into  three  tribes.  The  first 
inhabits  the  United  States  territory ; — the  second  passes  the 
winter  in  the  British  territory  and  returns  towards  the  South 
in  summer,  to  lay  in  a  provision  of  roots,  and  cultivate  some 
fields  situated  for  the  most  part  below  the  frontier  ; — the  third 
never  leaves  the  British  territory.  The  first,  which  I  was 
charged  to  visit  some  years  ago,  is  26  leagues  distant  from  my 
residence  at  St.  Ignatius,  the  second  is  47  leagues,  and  the 
third  100  leagues. 

"As  for  the  two  first  tribes,  it  is  hardly  possible  to  have 
them  visited  by  a  Missioner  more  than  twice  a  year,  consider- 
ing the  distance  separating  them  from  us  and  the  difficulty  of 


travelling  in  the  mountainous  countries.  It  is  only  in  August 
and  November,  that  is  to  say  on  their  return  from  the  territory 
of  the  Black-feet,  where  they  go  buffalo-hunting  every  year, 
that  the  Missioner  can  hope  to  meet  them.  The  first  time  I 
visited  them,  I  took  the  road  about  the  middle  of  October,  in 
company  with  another  Father  and  a  guide.  The  latter,  how- 
ever, proving  to  be  inexperienced,  we  lost  our  way  very  soon 
after  our  departure.  Having  wandered  a  day  and  a  night 
trying  to  discover  the  right  road,  we  arrived  in  a  state  of  ex- 
haustion from  hunger  and  fatigue  at  a  camp  of  Kalispels, 
where  we  were  surprised  to  find  how  far  we  had  strayed  from 
the  path.  I  was  obliged  to  return  to  our  residence  and  make 
another  attempt  the  following  week.  This  time  I  was  more 
fortunate. 

"  I  perceived  on  my  arrival  among  the  first  tribe,  that  it  was 
expected  the  Missioner  would  be  able  to  remain  a  whole  week 
with  them ;  but  it  was  quite  impossible  to  satisfy  the  poor 
Indians  in  this  respect.  Desiring  to  visit  the  second  tribe 
without  any  delay,  I  spent  only  two  days  instructing  the  first, 
and  then  set  out  again,  under  the  escort  of  an  excellent  in- 
ferior chief  of  the  tribe  I  was  so  long  in  search  of. 

"  Already,  a  tolerably  thick  fall  of  snow  covered  certain 
parts  of  the  road.  But  if  I  had  something  to  suffer  on  the 
journey,  I  found  unmixed  joy  awaiting  me  when  I  approached 
and  entered  the  camp.  A  Kootonais  having  met  us  at  a 
distance  of  more  than  three  leagues  from  the  encampment  of 
his  tribe,  as  he  was  on  his  way  to  the  chase,  saluted  the  Mis- 
sioner. and  retracing  his  steps  with  all  expedition,  announced 
my  approaching  arrival.  The  chief  Michael,  a  venerable  and 
patriarchal  old  man,  loved  and  respected  by  all  his  tribe,  came 
to  meet  me.  I  was  conversing  with  the  good  chief  when  a 
discharge  of  fire-arms  was  heard;  this  I  knew  was  a  token  of 
rejoicing,  and  it  continued  until  1  found  myself  in  the  midst 
of  the  huts. 

:  "We  found  all  the  Indians  drawn  up  in  a  double  line  in 
the  centre  of  the  village,  waiting  to  shake  hands  with  the 
Missioner  ;  which  ceremony  assumes  with  them  a  religious 


character,  beginning  and  ending  with  the  sign  of  the  cross.  I 
experienced  the  greatest  consolation  all  the  time  of  my  sojourn 
among  them;  their  simplicity,  modesty,  docility,  and  affec- 
tion charmed  me.  I  should  have  liked  to  spend  the  winter 
among  them,  but  this  time  I  had  no  more  than  four  days  to 
devote  to  them.  On  the  feast  of  St.  Francis  Xavier,  I  said 
Mass  for  them  the  last  time  previous  to  my  departure. 

"  Just  as  I  was  about  to  leave,  I  saw  such  a  quantity  of 
dried  buffalo  meat  in  our  hut,  that  it  occurred  to  me  to 
delay  our  departure  a  few  hours  and  boil  this  supply  of 
provisions  to  make  a  great  feast  for  the  children.  Fifty-five 
children  partook  of  the  repast,  and  there  was  enough  left  to 
bring  some  home  to  their  families.  They  would  not  let  me 
go  until  I  was  completely  wrapped  up  in  a  buffalo  skin,  and 
thus  protected  from  the  cold. 

"  In  the  month  of  August  the  following  year,  I  paid 
another  visit  to  the  same  tribe.  It  was  then  I  learnt  that 
the  third  tribe  of  Kootonais  had,  on  hearing  of  my  last  visit 
to  the  second  tribe,  sent  among  them  four  or  five  of  their 
people,  to  get  instruction  and  afterwards  return  to  their  forsaken 
tribe,  and  communicate  as  much  as  they  could  retain  of  the 
teachings  of  religion.  Having  had  such  proof  of  ardent 
zeal,  I  should  not  have  desired  anything  more  earnestly  than 
to  take  my  way  to  this  same  third  tribe  ;  but  there  were  too 
many  obstacles  to  such  a  course.  I  was  of  necessity  com- 
pelled to  renounce  the  realization  of  my  very  natural  desires; 
and  I  returned  to  our  residence  at  Saint  Ignatius,  grieved  at 
not  being  able  this  time  to  visit  the  most  abandoned  of  the 
Kootonais,  and  knowing  not  when  I  should  be  able  to  come 
to  their  aid  with  my  ministry. 

"Towards  the  end  of  October,  the  same  year,  a  person  in 
the  employment  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  being  about 
to  go  to  the  second  tribe  of  the  Kootonais,  I  offered  to 
accompany  him.  I  found  only  a  few  families  at  the  camp  of 
Michael,  where  I  was  not  expected  until  the  summer  of  the 
following  year.  My  companion  was  ready  to  return  after  three 
days.  I  assembled  the  Indians  for  prayers,  explained  to  them 

VOL.  xxxiv.  20 


308 

how  much  I  desired  to  see  the  third  tribe,  declaring,  at  the 
same  time,  that  if  I  had  found  more  anxiety  on  their  part  to 
second  my  efforts,  I  might  have  been  able  to  make  this  much- 
desired  visit  in  the  month  of  August,  and  asking  them  who 
would  have  to  answer  for  such  of  the  unfortunate  tribe  as 
should  die  without  baptism,  while  I,  who  would  have  been 
ready  to  act  the  part  of  the  good  Samaritan  in  their  regard, 
was  not  able  to  do  so,  etc.  Death-like  silence  reigned  among 
my  audience  while  I  pronounced  my  discourse,  and  confusion 
was  visible  on  every  countenance.  The  last  prayer  ended, 
and  the  last  moment  having  come,  I  was  about  to  leave  my 
cabin  when  one  of  the  men,  taking  hold  of  the  skirt  of  my 
soutane,  made  me  sit  down,  and  addressed  me  in  the  following 
terms : 

"  c  It  never  entered  into  our  heads  to  prevent  you  visiting 
the  other  tribe ;  and,  if  we  have  been  the  cause  of  your  not 
visiting  them  in  the  month  of  August  last,  you  will  now  find 
us  ready  to  make  reparation.' 

"'The  season  is  now  too  far  advanced,'  I  replied;  'there 
is  half  a  foot  of  snow  on  the  ground.' 

"  '  You  need  not  be  afraid  of  that,'  added  another ;  '  this 
sort  of  snow  soon  disappears.' 

"  e  But  I  have  nothing  with  me  but  my  horse.' 

"  '  I  am  going  to  give  you  another  horse,'  replied  a  third ; 
*  and,  as  for  provisions,  you  need  not  be  at  all  uneasy  on 
that  account.' 

"  I  saw  that  they  took  the  matter  quite  seriously.  How- 
ever, I  hesitated;  for  I  could  hardly  see  how  it  could  be 
possible  to  undertake  so  long  a  journey  and  return  to  Saint 
Ignatius  before  the  middle  of  winter,  I  put  forward  another 
objection. 

"  *  But  that  tribe  is  not  expecting  me  at  this  season.  It  is 
probably  dispersed  for  the  winter  hunting.' 

"  '  Hasten  your  departure,'  said  the  man  who  had  first 
spoken,  '  and  you  will  find  them  together ;  for  they  will  not 
disperse  until  the  caravan  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company 
passes  through  their  camp.' 


309 

"  '  Well,  then,  I  am  ready.' 

"  I  then  went  to  inform  my  companion,  the  employ^  of  the 
Hudson's  Bay  Company  previously  referred  to.  He  pro- 
nounced my  conduct  imprudent,  and  represented  to  me  that 
my  return  after  this  new  visit,  even  if  possible,  would  cer- 
tainly be  destitute  of  the  assistance  and  comfort  I  should  find 
if  I  were  now  to  return  with  him,  and  give  up  the  idea  of 
penetrating  any  farther.  My  resolution,  however,  was  taken, 
and  I  trusted  that  God  would  give  me  the  necessary  strength 
to  accomplish  the  good  work.  With  joyful  heart  I  set  out 
with  my  two  Indian  guides. 

"  On  the  third  day,  we  met  the  caravan  of  which  my  good 
savages  had  spoken,  and,  although  T  was  fortunate  in  meeting 
an  agent  of  the  Company,  who  gave  me  a  supply  of  sugar, 
coffee,  and  other  little  things  which  the  Indians  could  not 
provide,  my  mind  was  in  a  state  of  anxiety  lest  we  should  not 
find  our  distant  tribe ;  for  we  had  still  a  day  and  a  half  to 
travel.  At  last  we  reached  our  destination ;  but,  from  the 
summit  of  a  hill,  where  it  is  easy  to  descry  the  Kootonais' 
camp,  we  perceived  that  there  was  only  a  single  cabin  standing 
on  the  spot.  And  even  the  family  it  belonged  to  was  actually 
on  the  point  of  setting  out.  Two  hours  later,  we  should  not 
have  found  a  soul  in  the  camp.  The  question  then  was  how 
we  should  find  our  Indians.  Woods  surrounded  the  camp 
on  all  sides.  My  guides  made  the  air  reecho  with  their  cries, 
and  one  of  them  ran  on  to  hold  back  the  one  family  that 
remained  on  the  ground.  On  my  arrival,  I  found  they  had 
prepared  a  hut  for  me.  Then  they  set  off  in  search  of  those 
who  had  last  of  all  left  the  camp.  We  had  not  arrived  till 
the  afternoon,  and  before  evening  we  had  succeeded  in  bring- 
ing back  twelve  families.  Next  morning,  by  the  time  I  was 
awake,  the  whole  tribe,  with  the  exception  of  a  single  family, 
were  assembled  again.  How  delighted  I  was  to  see  all  the 
beaming  faces  around  me  ! 

"  The  young  people,  of  twenty  years  and  under,  had  never 
in  their  life  seen  a  Black-robe ;  not  one  Missioner  had  pene- 
trated, they  told  me,  as  far  ns  this  tribe  since  the  Rev.  Father 

•20  * 


310 

Smet  passed  through,  more  than  twenty  years  before.  I 
thought  at  first  that  I  should  he  obliged  to  begin  from  the 
beginning,  and  teach  them  to  make  the  sign  of  the  cross :  I 
was  mistaken,  however.  Judging  from  the  manner  in  which 
they  followed  me  as  I  said  the  prayers,  I  concluded  that  the 
exercise  was  quite  familiar  to  them.  Moreover,  they  knew 
the  principal  mysteries  of  our  holy  Faith  so  well,  that,  after 
three  days'  work,  I  had  the  consolation  of  baptizing  260 
adults  and  blessing  forty  marriages.  Here,  too,  in  spite  of 
the  pressing  invitations  of  the  poor  Indians,  my  stay  was 
short.  Having  marked  out  a  spot  on  which  they  could  build 
a  chapel,  I  quitted  them  on  the  evening  of  the  third  day  to 
return  to  Saint  Ignatius,  but  not  without  promising  to  come 
back  the  following  year.  And,  in  truth,  I  kept  my  word.  I 
found  they  had  built  a  nice  little  chapel,  where,  within  four 
walls  formed  of  trunks  of  trees  laid  one  upon  another,  we 
were  able  more  comfortably  to  go  through  our  religious 
exercises.  This  time,  I  spent  an  entire  week  among  them, 
and  promised  that  in  future  they  should  receive  a  visit  from 
the  Missioner  every  year. 

"  After  this  second  visit  to  the  third  tribe  of  the  Kootonais, 
all  the  members  of  the  second  expected  likewise  that  I  should 
go  to  administer  the  sacraments  to  them.  Then  it  was  that 
I  was  witness  of  the  extraordinary  endurance  of  the  Indian. 
After  they  had  all  come  to  confession,  I  saw  a  man  approach 
with  tottering  steps,  whom  I  had  never  expected  to  see  in  the 
chapel.  This  man  had,  four  or  five  days  before,  been  endea- 
vouring to  kill  a  bear,  but  had  only  succeeded  in  wounding 
the  animal.  It  was  impossible  to  escape  the  fury  of  the 
ferocious  beast,  which,  rushing  on  its  victim,  eat  away  his 
nose,  tore  his  cheeks  and  the  fleshy  parts  of  his  body, 
severely  injured  his  head,  and  left  him  in  a  fearfully  mangled 
condition.  The  other  Indians  ran  to  the  scene  of  slaughter, 
thinking  the  poor  man  must  be  dead  ;  brought  him  to  his  hut, 
and  carefully  bound  up  his  wounds.  Hearing  of  my  arrival, 
he  had  himself  brought  to  the  camp,  and  after  a  short  rest, 
came  up  unassisted  to  make  his  confession  like  the  rest. 


